C.A.R.D.I. - One to Watch

Alright People, you know I always put you on when I discover something worth sharing in Hip-Hop.  Well, don't say I never gave you nothin'.  I first met Cardi in my days of hosting an online radio show called Strong Island Hip Hop almost two years ago.  He would frequent the studio to battle our featured artists and would kill it each and every time. The kid is a problem.  For the longest time, we would interview artists and showcase their talents- but the best part of each show would be the freestyle cipher afterward, hands down.  You would have to see it to believe it, but a lot of heads came up to the studio just to hear him spit and he wasn't even in front of the camera prior to that. The buzz was always there.  Da Sharon Getty got a chance to ping-ping with Cardi  with a little word association interview, just off the top.  He's just as humble, mature,  laid back and funny as they come, plus something else.  A secret ingredient that makes him real and credible without the commonplace posturing so prevalent in the world of rappers nowadays.   The results were off the top, raw insights into the mind of Cardi Crown Prince. Peep it.

Ipod - "CARDI"

9 to 5 -  "Sheesh..."

Dirty South - "Catchy"

Family - "Priorities"

Swag - "Discontinued" (laughs)

Twitter -  "Nosy" 

Ignorance - "Disease"

Nikki Minaj - "Plastic"

Battle - (smiles knowingly) "Dat's cool."




It should come as no surprise that Cardi knows exactly where he’s going. That’s because he knows very well where he’s been and more importantly, where he could be. The name C.A.R.D.I. which stands for Crime and Real Dollars Involved represents a road many may go down but never make it back. Born Roderick Jones on October 5, 1989 and named for a close family friend whose life was tragically cut short, Cardi Crown Prince is a man destined for success. He hails from Lakeview, Long Island New York. Exit 18 is home to many who aspire to do what comes naturally to Cardi. From shows to freestyle ciphers and special appearances, he quickly became a favorite on the underground circuit with eloquent rhymes and mature viewpoint of the industry that contradicts his short years on the planet. That started way before the ENJ Battlegroundz, Strong Island Hip Hop ciphers and live performances at venues in NYC. He’s a wordsmith at heart. He received poetry and literature awards as a youth and grew up hearing mainstays in Hip Hop like DMX, Nas, Jay-Z and Big in his household along with classic soul greats which influence his music. He cites Otis Redding and Frankie Beverly and Maze as being a few of his all-time favorites. Being the oldest of three children, it’s safe to say he was the youngest in charge in a way. With a strong sense of family values, he has no reason to come off as something he is not. He talks about what he knows. He will take his listeners through true life and its pleasure and pains without a need to brag. If his bravado seems apparent, that’s because he backs it up with a laid back delivery and lyrics that stick. Initially he wasn’t drawn to rap but basketball instead. For a long time, Cardi could be spotted with an ever present basketball, working on his skills. He played basketball for his school team as a guard for two and a half years. But rhyming came naturally as he would rap at school presentations and projects rather than simply speak at them. Some people are nothing but trouble makers and others are straight-A students, but Cardi fell somewhere in between with his share of lunchroom antics while maintaining his grades in order to play sports. It paved the way for things to come. In a short time he established a reputation for witty one-liners and thought provoking stories. In March 2009 he released the mixtape Leader of the New School. His single “The Way It Is” has fast become a sensation on the streets and in cyberspace alike. Proving that he can hold his own in any forum, his guest spots are equally anticipated as his solo performances. In April 2010 he signed with KG Music Group but it doesn't stop there. Cardi flaunts a true confidence while maintaining a genuinely humble disposition. His star is on the rise and it comes as no surprise.  He is the truth.  Stay tuned.


Check out Cardi's live performance of his single, Talk To You.



Download his latest mixtape, THE CO-SIGN at datpiff.com 

Black Star Keeps Shining

Can I  just start off by saying I love my life?  Thanks to good friendships and even better memories (despite the consumption of Cannabis)  I got the chance to take in Mos Def and Talib Kweli last night at the Electric Factory in Philly.  My homeboy deejays for Talib and was thoughtful enough to set some tickets aside for yours truly.  As always, they killed it.  But I'd be lying if I said that the show didn't get off to a slow start. It's no one's fault, really.  I just think the nuts and bolts of the show could have been tighter.  There was a considerable amount of downtime between sets, and I feel that took away from the consistent energy that could have been.

This marks the middle of Mos Def's tour for his latest album, The Ecstatic. Jay Electronica blessed the stage first.  I never saw him live before but was not disappointed.  He has lyrical skill combined with comedic timing.  His rendition of Rick James' Give It To Me, Baby tested the audience's knowledge of the lyrics.  I seemed to be the only one who knew the second verse. "Guess that's why I'm so elated!" Jay brought out former Floetry Songstress, Marsha Ambrosius who sang a quick breakdown of who she is and where she's been since the days of splitting from the Floacist, Natalie Stewart.  Also, Jay shared a bit of R&B trivia with the crowd when he mentioned that the King of Pop himself requested a song that Marsha penned which later became Michael's hit, Butterflies. Jay ended his set with The Pledge  (click on that, you won't be sorry) and then introduced Talib Kweli and my boy, DJ Chaps. Shout outs again to Chippytay for looking out with those tickets. Love ya, Bro.

Kweli did a select combination of songs from albums Train of Thought; Reflection Eternal, The Beautiful Struggle and most recently, Ear Drum.  Then he wowed everyone with an acappella  freestyle verse that showcased his propensity for breath control.  Your boy goes in!  By the time the beat dropped for Get By the crowd was well oiled for his Black Star counterpart. Like I said before, the lapse in time before he got onstage drew away from the energy, but not for long.  By the time the Mighty Mos hit the stage, all was forgiven. He showed up on the far right corner of the stage skillfully beating the hell out of some drums, which can't be easy to do.  I didn't even know it was him at first. But there he was, spitting verses while simultaneously playing the drums like Animal from the Electric Mayhem Band.  What? I can't be the only one who was raised up on a steady diet of Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. He did a lot of new songs from the latest album- but I honestly haven't heard it yet so it was hard to follow.  The real highlight came when Kweli returned for the duo to do the well known joints from the original Black Star album.  They both shined while performing Thieves in the Night and still had me pondering, "Where were you the day Hip-Hop died? Is it too early to mourn? Is it too late to cry?" On Respiration, the only element missing was Common- who has one of my favorite verses he's ever spit on that particular track.

Mos Def went on to do more songs from his solo albums as only Black Dante can.  His voice was so full of pain on U R the One, that I still don't think he's over that woman yet. Of course, no show  of his would be complete without Ms. Fat Booty and he brought it in by first playing the entire sample of Aretha Franklin's One Step Ahead. Classic.  I've seen the Boogie Man perform before and he tends to end every show with Umi Says as folks make their way to the door.  But I'm a straggler and if I wasn't, I would have missed his hilarious version of  The Greatest Love Of All as sung by Mr. Randy Watson, from the What's Going Down episode of  "That's My Momma." Yup, even with all the soulful singing and critical delivery, he still found time to make us laugh courtesy of an unforgettable character from Coming to America. I can't leave without mentioning that he shared his opinion on the whole Kanye West VMA outburst. He admitted that there is time and place for everything and Kanye made a mistake.  Dude was feelin' himself but can you ever recall a time when he wasn't ? He also said that Jay Leno deserved a homegrown ass-whoopin' on live TV for asking West what his deceased mother would have said about his mishap. What the hell?! You just don't do that. And for it to go as far as President Obama being leaked as calling him "a jackass" for it- was a major fuck-up on the press' part. That's why I love Mos.  He is in-the-know and not afraid to voice his thoughts. 

All in all, it was a dope show.  My preference is that Talib & Mos perform together, but that doesn't take away from their ability to hold their own as individuals.  Let's hope a second Black Star album is on the horizon. Da Sharon Getty can't wait to review that! For now, fill your lungs with some Respiration.

Play I Some Music...

For those of you who missed it, I'm here to run down the "Rock The Bells" concert that took place at Jones Beach yesterday. Make no mistake. This is not a formal concert review. It's just my take on the whole thing- more or less. Apparently This Bug got there too late and I missed Common. For shame...because I love his energy and he goes in. I also missed House of Pain. No harm, no foul. I'm sorry, but seeing them do Jump Around was never at the top of my to-do list. I could run down the entire line-up but I'm lazy so you can see who was there for yourself by clicking here. Anyway, the headliners definitely made the best of the their time there. Nas and Damian Marley closed the show with performances of their upcoming album, Distant Relatives. I like the premise behind it. The idea is that no matter where we are from, Queensbridge to Israel, Jamaica to the U.K., we are all distant relatives. We all bleed the same. The highlight of their show together had to be when Nas rhymed over reggae beats like Welcome to Jamroc and in turn- Damian did his thing chatting over beats like One Love from Nas' first album. The switch-up was refreshing. Prior to that, what had me open were the few members of Wu Tang bringing out ODB's son to do Shimmy Shimmy Ya. It's crazy how much he sounds like him. And his mannerisms channel the spirit of Dirty to a tee. I can't lie. I was hurt to know that Nas and Raekwon were occupying the same space but didn't perform Verbal Intercourse. Blasphemy!

But honestly, what will stay with me most about the entire Rock the Bells tour had very little to do with seeing some of my favorite MC's do what they do best. KRS-One came out onstage and had some very relevant and poignant things to say. Of course he always reps when it comes to touting the title of the "Epicenter of Hip-Hop", but he didn't do it with bravado or entitlement. He spoke about heeding the call of something bigger than yourself in order to be successful. He spoke about spiritual grounding and being exactly where the Creator wants you to be in life.  That opportunity and serendipity converge at the time when it is right for you. That's when it hit me that I was meant to be at Rock the Bells on that fine Sunday afternoon.  One Love.